February 15, 2008

A Celebration of Indy Racing

Blogging. The last refuge for the banned. LOL. Hi, I am the guy who has been known for fourteen years as the ‘Defender of the IRL.’ There is never hesitancy when sharing an opinion, particularly when the topic involves open wheel racing. My orientation positions the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the spiritual and philosophical center of the sport of motor racing, has been for nearly a century, and will continue to be long after the earthly stays of all race fans conclude. There has never been a better time to be a fan of Indy Car racing than right now.

‘Defender’ came about mostly by accident. A handful of youthful, militant fans of the now-defunct cart series made it their mission to destroy the sport after they took exception to the oft-misinterpreted ‘split’ that began before the 1995 racing season. The sheer decibel level of the ignorance, hostility, poor sportsmanship and vulgar juvenile delinquency by mostly disenfranchised cart enthusiasts prompted many of us to take a stand.

Sometimes doing that is difficult. The Indy Car Series has not lived up to its immense potential and its leader, Tony George, has always made himself, mostly unwittingly, a very easy target. The delinquents have resorted to sleaze on a level rarely seen in sports. Their focus, however, remains on the Indy Racing Series, the people in it and the people who enjoy it.

More about that in future meanderings. Right now it is time, if you desire, to read these words and not have to worry about any censorship by self appointed, self important moderators running forums that adhere to some ever changing ‘standard.’ Moderation of any forum is a daunting task and I do not begrudge anyone who takes on such a formidable babysitting task. I would not want to do it. That is not a worry here. You can offer commentary in reply as you wish. If I don’t like it, I’ll delete it. I’ll pay attention to ideas, contrary viewpoints expressed with even the slightest degree of intelligence, and suggestions. I will also write whatever I feel like discussing, usually in colorful terms and often with elements of dark humor. Don’t like it? Don’t read it. If you have gotten this far, however, you will likely enjoy it.